Episode 93 The Victories Achieved by Leader Ahmed Akhrirou

A grainy, sepia-toned historical photograph capturing a dynamic ambush scene in the rugged Jebala mountains. In the foreground, near a rocky crest, two fallen Spanish sentries in light khaki summer uniforms lie dead next to their Mauser rifles. Two shadowed figures, identifiable as Ahmed Akhrirou and Shoaib Aflah, stand over them, looking down the slope. Below, a Spanish battalion is descending a narrow V-shaped gorge, forming the "jaws of the crocodile." The battalion is in complete disarray; horses and mules are rearing, and soldiers in sun helmets look up in panic as a sudden volley of rifle fire erupts from the surrounding hillside, indicated by numerous muzzle flashes and smoke puffs. Hundreds of Moroccan Mujahideen in dark woolen djellabas are positioned behind rocks, firing upon the trapped enemy. The composition emphasizes the scale of the ambush and the chaotic moment of attack, with a distant view of more rugged mountains under a cool, overcast dawn light.

A visual depiction of the ambush moment during the Battle of Tafoughalt and Wadi Laou (1924), showing Leaders Ahmed Akhrirou and Shoaib Aflah (in the foreground) after neutralizing the two Spanish sentries, as hundreds of Mujahideen from the Jebala tribes engage the Spanish battalion trapped in the valley's "jaws of the crocodile."

The Victories Achieved by Leader Ahmed Akhrirou

Here are the victories achieved by Leader Ahmed Akhrirou through his attacks on the military bases and occupied posts in the tribes of Beni Said and Beni Zjel of the Ghomara tribes. The heroic leader Ahmed Akhrirou participated with his volunteer men in all the battles fought between the mujahideen and the occupying armies, leading the battles himself alongside his men between Tlanbouet and Wadi Laou, where the naval base is located with the assistance of the regular forces commander, Shoaib Aflah. The posts and garrisons situated between Tlanbouet and Wadi Laou along the length of the valley served as a guarantee of communications between the two bases: Tlanbouet in the Beni Zjel tribe and Wadi Laou in the Beni Said tribe on one hand, and on the other hand, they ensured communications between the city of Chefchaouen and Wadi Laou. Therefore, Leader Ahmed Akhrirou decided to attack the Tlanbouet base with the mujahideen from the tribal men accompanying him, numbering over four hundred volunteers, assisted by Commander Shoaib Aflah with a contingent from the regular army. He then mobilized the mujahideen, organized them, and ordered them to sneak into the village of Tafoughalt in the Beni Said tribe. They crept until they reached the aforementioned village to confront the Tlanbouet base.

Once the base sensed the impending danger, it dispatched a battalion of its soldiers equipped with sufficient supplies and military equipment carried on the backs of mules, ordering them to descend onto the Tafoughalt plateau. The number of soldiers in the battalion exceeded three hundred, including horse riders and leaders of the pack mules. The plateau overlooked the movements of the mujahideen, and the enemy stationed two guards to monitor their movements until they could prepare to attack them. Leader Ahmed Akhrirou and Commander Shoaib Aflah crept up to the two guards, shot them dead with two rounds of gunfire, and immediately gave the order to attack the Spanish army descending on the plateau. They launched a sudden assault on the Spanish army, showering them with a volley of rifle fire all at once, leaving them no chance to defend themselves or flee the battle. Within just a few short hours, they annihilated the entire battalion; only eight individuals managed to escape with their lives into the forests, getting lost in the ravines and thickets.

The battle resulted in a major victory for the mujahideen and heavy losses for the enemy in lives, wealth, and military equipment. The military equipment and mounts were gathered, and the weapons were counted, totaling three hundred rifles with their ammunition, a number of mules, and one hundred and eighty horses. These were distributed among the mujahideen who rushed to the spoils. This immortalized battle was dated Friday, the 27th of Dhu al-Qi'dah al-Haram in the blessed year 1342 AH, corresponding to October 5, 1924 AD.

Then the enemy dispatched a reconnaissance detachment of forty Moroccan soldiers from the Wadi Laou base. After approaching the village of Tafoughalt, they received news of the crushing defeat and returned to their main base at Wadi Laou carrying the tragic news. Consequently, the enemy decided to retaliate by launching a counter-offensive against the mujahideen's ribat on the eastern bank of Wadi Laou, where the camp of Mouh bin Omar al-Jou' was located with one hundred regular soldiers. For this purpose, the enemy launched two attacks: an attack by one hundred Spanish soldiers on the mujahideen's center at Tafoughalt. When the mujahideen learned of their arrival, they chose the battle site between the corpses (Al-Jif) because it consisted of a plateau over a high hill.

After the Spanish soldiers arrived in the village of Tafoughalt, they enticed its people to support them against the mujahideen, fulfilling previous alliances. Once fighting broke out between the Spanish and the mujahideen, the villagers showed their support for the occupying forces. After the battle intensified and its flames grew fierce, the Spanish soldiers were defeated and fled in disarray, leaving behind eighteen dead. The battle resulted in the defeat of the occupying troops, while three volunteer mujahideen were martyred.

After the battle ended, the villagers seized the weapons and spoils left behind by the Spanish soldiers in the battlefield who had supported the occupying enemy against the mujahideen. When asked to hand over the spoils, they refused, so the mujahideen confiscated all their livestock. Then, the elders of the village intervened, asking the mujahideen for forgiveness and reconciliation between them and the rebellious rabble of the village. They slaughtered sacrificial animals, fed the mujahideen, and honored them so that they would cease troubling the villagers and return their confiscated belongings. Following this, the rebellious villagers brought the spoils of war to the mujahideen, who returned their livestock to them. This served as a deterrent and a disciplinary measure against them, though some say nothing was returned to them.

As for the second attack launched against the hundred men of Mouh Ibn Omar al-Jou' on the eastern bank, the combat fluctuated between the regular army commander and the Spanish soldiers. Finally, the enemy gathered all their troops and concentrated their efforts to seize the regular army, continuously sending reinforcements to the battlefield. However, the mujahideen persevered and stood firm in combat until reinforcements led by Leader Ahmed Akhrirou from Tafoughalt arrived, accompanied by Commander Shoaib Aflah, the commander of the regular army unit. The enemy troops were completely unaware until the mujahideen surrounded them from behind, showering them with a barrage of bullets. The enemy army suddenly realized they were trapped in the middle of the battle like jaws of a crocodile, with no room to advance or retreat. At that moment, they tasted the heat of death from both front and rear. The enemy army was defeated, fleeing in the face of fire until they disappeared inside the barracks of their main base at Wadi Laou.

The battle resulted in numerous killed and wounded among the ranks of the occupying enemy, who also left behind a great deal of military equipment on the battlefield. Four mujahideen were martyred (two volunteers and two from the regular army), Commander Shoaib Aflah sustained a minor injury, and another soldier from the regular army under Commander Shoaib Aflah was wounded. They were then taken for medical treatment to the tribe of Beni Krir.

The Battle of Tazai in the Tribe of Beni Zjel

A triptych of hand-tinted historical photographs, rendered in a gritty, sepia-toned style with deep shadows and bright highlights, illustrating three distinct stages of the Battle of Tazai. The header reads, "Ma'arakat Tazai - Al-Akhmas Al-'Ulya - 1924-1925."

A visual triptych documenting the stages of the Battle of Tazai (1924–1925). The left panel shows the siege and tense negotiations; the middle panel depicts the decisive surprise moment of the Spanish officer's elimination and the Moroccan soldier's rallying call; and the right panel illustrates the swift surrender and the Mujahideen taking control of the barracks and bread storage areas without bloodshed.

Following these victories achieved by the heroic leader Ahmed Akhrirou through his military skill, he decided to move to Mount Trins, relocating there with his accompanying volunteer mujahideen and the regular army. He settled there to oversee the progress of fighting in the four barracks located on the bank of the river to secure communications between Chefchaouen, Tlanbouet, and Wadi Laou, starting with the garrison of Taza (without a gate, whereas the gated one is located in the Upper Akhmas). These garrisons were commanded by an officer with the rank of lieutenant. Leader Ahmed Akhrirou ordered the siege of the four barracks, and they were blockaded.

When their main base—which was supplied from Wadi Laou via the Trins Ribat center—was cut off, the lieutenant was forced to negotiate a truce with the commander of the mujahideen, who granted it to him. While in negotiations with Leader Ahmed Akhrirou, one of the mujahideen caught him unawares and shot him dead. Meanwhile, a Moroccan guard for the Spanish on top of the barracks called out to one of the mujahideen, inciting him to kill the chief of the four garrisons and join the mujahideen, which he did.

The mujahideen then launched rapid surprise attacks on all the aforementioned barracks, capturing them without hardship or fierce combat, and releasing all the prisoners held within them. These prisoners numbered forty-five Moroccan captives from the Regulares unit, including a wounded Spanish first lieutenant. The prisoners were sent to Leader El Hadi ben Azzouz in Beni Malla.

One garrison remained, which protected the Tlanbouet base ("Adghous") in Taza called Afrane, named after the bread oven used to supply the barracks located on the Wadi Laou bank, connecting the Tlanbouet base to the Wadi Laou base. The mujahideen surrounded it after finishing with the four Taza garrisons, and captured it without any warfare or spilled blood.

During this period, Leader Ahmed bin Said al-Hassani al-Taghzouti announced his joining the Rif Revolution. Leader Ahmed Akhrirou's fame grew due to these successive victories, drawing delegations of volunteer mujahideen from the tribes of Beni Hazmar, Beni Said, Beni Hassan, and other tribes. His side was reinforced by a large number of fighting men. The location of the village of Taghzout al-Hassania lies on the eastern bank of Wadi Laou river, on the side of the Ghomara tribe of Beni Zjel, making it a gathering point for families from the tribes of Beni Hassan, Beni Said, and Beni Zjel. Its strategic military location is difficult, situated among sharp, rugged, and thorny rocky terrain.

(1) It is said that this livestock was not returned, and that Leader Moulay Ali al-Rissouni appropriated it, sold it, and spent the proceeds on his personal interests. The townspeople subsequently blamed him for this, accusing him of buying a house in Tetouan with the proceeds of the livestock. It is also said that the number of enemy soldiers was not three hundred, but only one hundred, though reports agreed on the killing of all of them.

بحث هذه المدونة الإلكترونية

أرشيف الطاهر اللهيوي | الذاكرة التاريخية Taher Lhioui Archive | Historical Memory